Music and Time
by Utenakun
Summary: Ten moments in the lives of Utena and Anthy, set to music. Utena/Anthy, C.
1. Viva Voce: The Tiger and How We Tamed It

**Title:** Music and Time  
**Author:** Vitupera  
**Series:** Revolutionary Girl Utena, Utena/Anthy  
**Summary:** A meme, rules explained below.  
**Rating:** PG except for "Black Dog," which is PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** Ah, Utena. Still not mine, please don't take this as more than strictly not-for-profit fun.  
**Notes:** A music meme! It goes like this:

Music Meme

1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.  
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!  
4. Do ten of these, then post them.

The time constraint made these surprisingly hard, and I'll be the first to admit that the ficlets are pretty unpolished. Still, in the spirit of the thing, I have no plans to edit them. Also in the spirit of the thing, feel free to listen to the music as you read:

http listen. grooveshark. com / # / playlist / Fic_soundtrack_Music_and_Time / 14917472

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1. Viva Voce- The Tiger & How We Tamed It. 4:57

Tenjo Utena was a strong woman, admired by her coworkers and friends. People in distress knew she could be counted on, and the dishonest, the liars, and the backstabbers often had trouble meeting her eyes.

Only one knew that she shuddered in the dark and cried in starlight, only Himemiya Anthy sat up in bed night after night and pulled Utena into her lap, stroking her hair, soothing away her tears.

And one brilliant night, when Anthy's gentle hands caressed as far down as the jagged, scarred ridges of the other woman's back, Utena didn't gasp, and didn't pull away.


	2. Princess Tutu: 'Dobutsu no Shankikusai'

2. Princess Tutu- 'Dobutsu no Shankikusai' Suizokukan. 2:10

The Princess' dress rustles with dark silks as she swings wide, on the arm of her Prince. The Prince strides fearlessly through the roses and the water, the thorns and the fire, leading her Princess through the steps of their ancient dance. They are the circle of love and hatred, the cycle of birth and death, the revolution of betrayal and trust.

They are dancing forever.


	3. dot hack: Morgana Tolerance Version

3. .hack- Morgana (Tolerance Version). 2:32

The moment after Anthy found Utena, they were laughing and crying in each other's arms. Two minutes after Anthy found Utena, Utena was standing silent, her face drawn with distant thunder. Anthy had no words, no fake smiles, nothing but the lump in her throat fighting to rise up into a scream. And the third woman was standing there, completing the triangle, looking from Utena to Anthy and back again in worry, gathering aggression, and all-too-clear understanding.


	4. L'Arc en Ciel: Forever

4. L'Arc~en~Ciel- Forever. 4:39

Before Utena came to Ohtori, Anthy lost track of how many fiancés she'd been engaged to, how many duels she'd watched, how many roses she'd tucked into lapels with fingers of ice. Before Utena came to Ohtori, Anthy knew who she loved, knew what she wanted from the duel called Revolution, knew how to acquiesce to the desires of her Victors. And when Utena came to Ohtori, Anthy did not so much as feel a distant tremor, did not catch even the faintest scent of change in the air. When Utena burst into Anthy's life as a brilliant supernova, Anthy remained blind, deaf, and unfeeling, denying everything that screamed at her that this, this was her prince, now was the time to turn and open her eyes. That was why, in the midst of it all, Anthy ran the Sword of Dios through Utena, slid it home with a pulpy resistance and sudden slick give, and just then woke up, and realized, and loved.


	5. The Pillows: Climbing on the Roof

5. The Pillows- Climbing on the Roof. 3:23

In Utena's second year at university, she makes a friend in her 18th-century French Literature class, a friend who invites her and Anthy to hang out sometime. That's how they wind up on the roof of a small apartment building somewhere in the low-rent student ghetto, both sipping at beers pressed in their hands by welcoming strangers. They perch on the edge of a skylight, a brilliant square rising out of the dark roof under them, as the warm evening wind tosses their hair. Utena throws an arm around Anthy's shoulders and holds her close as she laughs at a new acquaintance's story. Anthy smiles up at the stars, and she's sure she sees Venus wink in return.


	6. Cowboy Bebop: Wo Qui Non Coin

6. Cowboy Bebop- Wo Qui Non Coin. 3:43

When Utena thinks of Anthy, she likes to picture Anthy's smiling eyes, her cropped, pixie hair, her deep and quietly amused voice-- in other words, Utena likes to think of the things that have changed about Anthy since she left Ohtori. She likes how Anthy has gained several inches, and adores how Anthy gazes into mirrors in confusion and trails wondering fingers around her own smiling lips, her growing breasts, her broadening hips. And Utena loves how Anthy looks straight into your eyes, and disagrees if she wants to, and never fails to think for herself.


	7. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle: Black Sword

7. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle- Black Sword. 2:51

Dios is content with how things have happened.

Those first insane years, trying so frantically to save everyone and always more-- then, he thought himself in Hell. Then he learned how stupid he'd been before, once he was locked away as unseen, unscreaming witness to what he was as Akio. Finally, as he woke to find himself in the Prince's role once more, but still Akio-- then he gave himself to despair. Then he watched her pull herself up from the ground and do what he could not-- and was content.

Yes, he thinks, fixing his eyes on her as the ground breaks away and the world flies apart. It is so right that my sword was nothing but a lever for you to force her coffin open.


	8. Led Zeppelin: Black Dog

8. Led Zeppelin- Black Dog. 4:57

It starts when Utena returns home from class. She shuts the door behind her, lets her bag drop with a weary thud, and continues towards the kitchen. A hallway door swings open, and Anthy is suddenly in her arms, lips on hers and drinking deep. Utena's too startled to do anything but let herself be led into the bedroom, bringing up one tentative hand to stroke Anthy's cheek, light as a butterfly's wing. But Anthy is not interested in that, choosing instead to rapidly unzip, unbutton, and pull until both of them are naked. After that it blurs, Utena losing herself in a haze of lips on her collarbone and shoulder and throat, trailing down to kiss her breast and suckle her until she throws her head back and moans deep in her throat. It turns quickly to a breathless whimper as Anthy's fingers slip between her thighs, touching, receding, Utena arching her hips desperately up to meet--


	9. Pink Floyd: Goodbye Blue Sky

9. Pink Floyd- Goodbye Blue Sky. 2:48

Utena's never had the shape of it, Anthy knows, Utena's never _understood_. Utena doesn't know why Touga dueled her this last time, she's utterly _baffled_ as to why Saionji submitted to having the sword drawn from him, and Anthy can't explain any of it. Anthy sees _all_ of what's happening, and she knows, as even Akio doesn't, that this is not a gambit, not a likely possibility. This is the final duel of Revolution, rushing ever closer. She sees all, knows all, and does nothing but bid Utena goodbye in her mind.


	10. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:Head Up High

10. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- Head Up High. 5:36

For a while, she was Himemiya Anthy. She cleaned, cooked, made tea, smiled empty smiles and watered roses. Beneath that she was the Rose Bride. Beneath that, the Witch. One by one, the layers peeled back.

Tenjo Utena was always herself, searingly herself, furiously resisting the elaborate guises of Victor and Fiancé. But Anthy saw how hard Utena strove to assume the role of Prince, and for that, loved her greatly and despised her as well.

But at the end of everything, when the Rose Bride tried to take Princehood away from Utena, then Utena rose to the moment and dropped the mask of simple girl, simple friend. Nothing could deny the Prince she was. And when Anthy finally saw that, she became... Anthy. With all the love, abandonment, despair, and hope she'd hoarded within herself for centuries, with all the pride in and anguished, unforgiving knowledge of what she'd done and become, she gathered herself and left Ohtori in search of Utena.


End file.
